


Sueño

by Solrika



Series: Blackwatch Boys [9]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Dad Reaper | Gabriel Reyes, Gen, Nightmares, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-09
Updated: 2016-10-09
Packaged: 2018-08-20 08:32:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8242991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Solrika/pseuds/Solrika
Summary: Jesse knows Genji has nightmares. Hell, who doesn't? It's just that this is his first time seeing one happen.





	

**Author's Note:**

> "Sombra" is how Blackwatch refers to any agent from their hacking unit.

Even though it’s midnight, it’s still hot and muggy inside the safehouse. Jesse’s foregone dignity in favor of napping in the tub, trying to soak up some cool from the tiles. Genji’s next to him, head propped up on the tub’s rim. Across the rooom, Gabriel sprawls in a chair, stripped down to boxers and tanktop and gunbelt. Chava, their sombra for this mission, is facedown on the bed, her laptop’s fans whirring noisily. 

Jesse wakes every now and then, jolted awake by a mosquito or restless dreams. From the way Chava stirs and mutters on the bed, and the furrowed lines on Gabe’s brow, he’s not the only one having trouble sleeping. Only Genji, cocooned in coolant, seems to be resting uninterrupted. 

Music is still drifting in the windows from the club down the street. Jesse tosses and turns, trying to get comfortable. The music seems too loud, its staccato beats hitting somewhere at the back of his skull. It takes him too long to realize the thunk-thunk-thunk is coming from right besides him, and by then it’s turned from thunk-thunk-thunk to a crystalline shatter. 

Jesse hauls himself upright. Grabbing his gun is instinct at this point. He peers out into the stillness of the safehouse–Chava murmurs on the bed, Gabriel’s head lolls to one side. Another shatter, and he looks down. 

Genji shudders and jolts against the tub wall, throwing stars crunching in and out of the ceramic as they flicker in and out of his hand. His visor is still dark, his systems still running nearly silent. It’s just that shatter-shatter-crunch and the all-too-human whine emerging from his throat that lets Jesse know something’s off.

“Genji,” Jesse tries. “Genji, wake up.” 

Genji just shudders, shoulders drawing high and tight. 

“C’mon, darlin’,” Jesse says, and reaches down to shake him awake.

The first touch has Genji’s visor flaring to life, searingly sudden brightness in the dark room. Something sinks into Jesse’s hand, and he rears back with a muffled curse–Jesse swears there’s a tangle of coils and scales that dissipates into after-image as Genji lets out a strangled keen, scrabbling backwards on the tile. There’s the sound of Chava startling on the bed outside, the click of Gabe’s safeties going off, the too-bright light from Genji’s visor casting crazy shadows everywhere, and Jesse clutches his bleeding hand and tries to cover his ears to block out the scream wrenching its way out of Genji’s throat.

Later, he’ll wish that he was the one to soothe that noise to silence, the one to go in a sleep-roughened croon, “You’re safe, you’re safe, c’mon Genji, c’mere, it’s okay, you’re safe.” But it’s Gabriel, instead, to gentle Genji to quiet and smooth those deadly throwing stars back into his hands. It’s Gabriel’s shirt that Genji clings to, Gabriel’s shirt that gets wet with tears, Gabriel’s arms gathering Genji up and holding him close.

“You’re okay, Genjito, we got you,” Gabriel murmurs, rocking back and forth. “No one’s ever gonna treat you like that again, niño, I promise. You’re here with me and Blackwatch and you’re safe, habibi, you’re safe.” 

Genji sobs something in Japanese and Gabriel croons back, and Jesse sits in the tub with the perfect outline of a dragon’s bite on his hand. Chava stares at him from the bed, cybernetic eyes wide, and he offers her a shrug and an attempt at a reassuring smile. She sets her gun down, smooths her shaking hands over her hair. 

Genji hiccups, retracts his visor to swipe furiously at his eyes. There’s a flicker of green chasing his fingers, and the bite on Jesse’s hand throbs. 

Gabriel says something in Japanese, low and gentle, and Genji nods and visibly tries to match his breathing to his commander’s, slow and steady. Jesse finds himself breathing along, sees the flicker of Chava’s eyes start to stabilize. Gabriel breathes for all of them until Genji’s gone limp and relaxed in his arms, and Chava’s flopped back down on the bed, and Jesse finds the courage to step out of the tub.

“He’s right, y’know,” he says, and Genji’s eyes flicker up to him, that hint of green chasing the pupils. Jesse swallows, adds, “About bein’ safe. He’s right.”

Genji’s lips quirk up, hesitant and wavering. 

Jesse crouches down besides Genji and his commander, and offers a hand. “I get nightmares, too,” he admits. “Think we all do. ‘s okay. Y’know if y’need it you can always sleep with me–or–someone–it makes it easier, y’know? I used t’ do it when I first joined up.” 

Something in his heart clenches when Genji takes the offered hand, holding almost tight enough to hurt, says, “Thank you,” in a scream-hoarse voice. Gabriel’s eyes are warm and approving in the darkness, and Jesse almost can’t believe it when Genji tips forwards from his commander’s arms to lean on Jesse’s shoulder. “I would like that,” Genji says, wondering as if being handed a treasure, and Jesse swallows and fights the inexplicable urge to cry.

“Anytime you need it,” he says.

“Now would be nice,” Genji says, and Jesse hears the attempt at the joke and smiles back. 

“Of course,” and Genji allows himself to be lifted, allows Jesse to climb back into the tub with his arms around his waist. Curls up tight and breaths in against Jesse’s neck, like he’s trying to form some new scent memory to guard against the night terrors. 

Gabriel’s still watching, their guardian shadow. He waits until they’re both settled, Jesse’s breathing slowing towards sleep, to stand. Jesse doesn’t need to know Arabic to hear the blessing when Gabriel’s hand brushes over their foreheads before he stands to go back to his chair.

The music from the club has stilled to some sort of slow dance. Chava’s starting to snore in the other room. Jesse rests his head against the cool metal of Genji’s helm, brushes his hand up the planes of his back.  Breathes a promise. “Gonna take care of you.”

Genji’s already asleep, but he curls tighter anyways. 


End file.
